Joe Rogan hosts one of the world’s most popular podcasts, regularly listened to by over 10 million people. But after interviewing a notorious anti-vaccination doctor on his show, Rogan and Spotify, the company that paid $100 million to exclusively host his podcast, are being targeted by high profile musicians like Joni Mitchell and Neil Young. The episode has sparked important conversations about free speech, censorship, the role of capitalism in art and the ethics of streaming giants. Today Dr Matt Beard, an expert in philosophy and ethics, joins The Culture to unpack all these questions and more.   Guest: Dr Matt Beard, Director of the Vincent Fairfax Fellowship at the Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership.

Indie music icon Mitski had already released five albums and received critical acclaim before her 2018 song ‘Nobody’ blew up on TikTok.  On her new album, ‘Laurel Hell’, Mitski explores her relationship to the music industry and making art under capitalism, at a moment when she’s more famous than ever. Today Shaad D’Souza joins The Culture to talk about Mitski, TikTok, and the grind of being a musician.   Guest: Shaad D’Souza, music critic for The Saturday Paper. Background reading: Mitski’s Laurel Hell in The Saturday Paper.

The Culture is back for 2022! And to start things off, we’re putting the magnifying glass over a game that has taken the internet by storm. With no promotion or monetisation, Wordle has grown a player base of over two million in a little less than three months. But what is it about this humble word game that has so many people addicted? To help unpack where Wordle came from and how it operates in a social media landscape, games reporter for Screenhub and regular games critic for The Saturday Paper, Jini Maxwell, joins The Culture this week.   Guest: Jini Maxwell, games critic for The Saturday Paper Follow The Culture on Instagram

It’s another special bonus summer episode of The Culture! On this episode, author and The Saturday Paper’s TV critic Sarah Krasnostein breaks down the best TV shows of 2021 - from drama, to comedy, to the best of Australian television. Guest: Sarah Krasnostein. TV critic for The Saturday Paper.

On this special bonus summer episode of The Culture, we’re talking the best of films in 2021. It was a great year for movies, and there’s plenty of stuff to catch up on if you didn’t have the time to hit the cinema as much as you would have liked. Joining host Osman Faruqi is film critic and the co-host of the Total Reboot podcast, Alexei Toliopoulos.  Guest: Alexei Toliopoulos, film critic and co-host of podcast Total Reboot.

Twenty five years ago Paul Kelly, one of Australia’s greatest songwriters, released ‘How To Make Gravy’, a song that has since become a staple at many family Christmas gatherings. ‘How to Make Gravy’ is full of anecdotes and snapshots about summer in Australia: the hot weather, Christmas roasts, dancing, and of course, family reunions. It’s a song that perfectly encapsulates what this time of year is supposed to be about. Paul Kelly joined The Culture to talk about ‘How To Make Gravy’, the inspiration behind the song, how much it mirrors Paul’s own family Christmases, and why it seems to become more and more popular every year.   Guest: Paul Kelly Follow The Culture on Instagram

Wes Anderson is back with this 10th feature film, ‘The French Dispatch’, his take on a fictional magazine reporting from France to an American audience in the 1960s and 70s. The movie has all the hallmarks we’ve come to expect from Wes Anderson, including a massive cast, a very specific sense of colour, and a lot of whimsy.  To talk about the film, and the work of Wes Anderson more broadly, we’re joined by Flick Ford, film critic and the host of RRR's film show Primal Screen.   Guest: Flick Ford, film critic and the host of Triple R’s movie show Primal Screen *This episode is not a paid-for advertorial. All opinions expressed are those of the individuals involved.* See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week the art world lost an icon and a visionary. The fashion designer, Virgil Abloh, passed away at the age of 41, two years after being diagnosed with cancer. From his beginnings in Chicago, to his collaborations with Kanye West and becoming the first black person in history to be appointed artistic director at Louis Vuitton, Virgil transformed fashion, music and art. To help unpack just how significant a figure Virgil Abloh was, and to discuss his legacy, we’re joined by Mitch Parker, a fashion writer and editor, current style contributor for GQ and the former managing editor at ID.   Guest: Mitch Parker, fashion writer and editor, current style contributor for GQ and the former managing editor at ID. Follow The Culture on Instagram See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

One of the most interesting seasons of ‘The Bachelorette’ has just wrapped up. After a sustained drop in ratings, the show’s producers announced a big shift in the core mechanics of the show - Brooke Blurton was announced as this year’s Bachelorette making her both the first Indigenous and queer woman in the role, and for the first time, contestants would be a mix of men and women. So did it work in injecting some new energy into what has become a pretty predictable and tired format? And are there lessons for the rest of Australia’s reality TV ecosystem, which has basically been unchanged for the past decade? Joining The Culture this week is Patrick Lenton, the deputy arts editor at The Conversation and the co-author of ‘The Bachelorette’ recap newsletter ‘All the heterosexual nonsense I was forced to endure’. He helps us review this season of ‘The Bachelorette’, and discuss the future of reality TV in Australia.   Guest: Patrick Lenton, writer and Arts and Culture Deputy Editor at The Conversation. Follow The Culture on Instagram See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Last week Taylor Swift re-released one of her most critically acclaimed albums, Red. The re-recording is the result of a complicated financial and legal battle over who owns the rights to the original versions of her songs. Red (Taylor’s Version) features all of the songs on the original album, plus a bunch of new tracks and a 10 minute long version of her iconic song ‘All Too Well’, where she takes some pretty pointed shots at a very famous ex-boyfriend. This week on The Culture, we’re joined by writer and musician Eilish Gilligan to talk about the new release of Red, how the Taylor’s Version project is transforming the music industry, and the unique relationship she has with her fans.   Guest: Eilish Gilligan, musician and writer. Follow The Culture on Instagram See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Grammy-nominated musician Courtney Barnett is one the most successful Australian artists performing right now. She’s just released her much-anticipated third studio album, ‘Things Take Time, Take Time’. This week on The Culture, Osman Faruqi caught up with her as she was gearing up to head on her first tour post-pandemic in the United States. They chat about the creative journey behind the album, writing about love, and ’The Sopranos’. Guest: Courtney Barnett See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Lockdown is over and cinemas are back! Luckily, Australia’s reopening happens to coincide with a bunch of exciting new releases coming out between now and the end of the year. This week on The Culture, Osman Faruqi is joined by Flick Ford - film reviewer and presenter of Triple R’s ‘Primal Screen’ - to run us through the most exciting films to watch this summer. Guest: Flick Ford Follow The Culture on Instagram

Dave Chappelle is one of the most successful comedians in the world, and his latest Netflix special, ‘The Closer’, reportedly made him $20 million. The special has sparked a huge amount of backlash, prompting a staff walkout at Netflix, and calls for the special to be taken down.  This week comedians Cassie Workman and Tom Ballard join The Culture, to help unpack the reignited conversation around free speech, what kind of impact harmful and offensive language can have in the real world, and the purpose of comedy. Guest: Comedian, actor and musician Cassie Workman Comedian and podcaster Tom Ballard Follow The Culture on Instagram

When the Real Housewives first aired 16 years ago it was written off as “trashy”. Feminist icon Gloria Steinem even called it "a minstrel show for women". But the show has shrugged off those labels, and become bigger and bigger, exploring themes of consumerism, class, and race, all while being highly entertaining. Now the franchise is at the centre of serious legal drama, providing both high stakes entertainment and a window into what happens when highly produced reality TV collides with actual reality. To help explain why this franchise is both increasingly popular and important Real Housewives superfans comedian Gen Fricker and writer Katie Cunningham join The Culture.   Guest: Comedian Gen Fricker, Writer Katie Cunningham Social links: Follow The Culture on Instagram See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After a two year break HBO’s ‘Succession’ is finally back for season three. The first two seasons of ‘Succession’ were critically acclaimed, but failed to attract big audiences.  But the hype has been steadily building as more and more people streamed the show during the pandemic. To help preview the new season, and talk about how the show became such a phenomenon, writer and critic for The Saturday Paper, Tara Kenny joins The Culture.   Guest: Writer and critic for The Saturday Paper, Tara Kenny Follow The Culture on Instagram See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Can you believe it’s been almost three years since Lil Nas X dropped ‘Old Town Road’? With that one track, produced for less than $100, the rapper made history. ‘Old Town Road’ became the longest-running single to sit at number one on the charts, and kicked off a debate about the definition of country music. Lil Nas X himself became the first openly queer Black artist to win a Country Music Association Award. He’s won two Grammys, 5 MTV Video Music Awards, and continues to break chart records. He was also named one of the 25 most influential people on the internet by Time. His first full-length album ‘Montero’ is here, and it’s both a commercial and critical success - cementing X’s status as one of the biggest pop stars of his generation. So why does everyone love rooting for him? And does the ‘Montero’ live up to the hype? To unpack it all, presenter Osman Faruqi is joined by music critic for The Saturday Paper, Shaad D’Souza.   Guest: Music critic for The Saturday Paper, Shaad D’Souza See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

When NITRAM, a newly released film about the perpetrator of the Port Arthur massacre, was announced there was swift backlash from politicians and film critics who argued that the story was too painful and traumatic to tell.  On today’s episode of The Culture we dissect the film, and explore the bigger questions it raises about how to tell stories about trauma and violence. Plus, we speak to the director of the film, Justin Kurzel and the film’s writer, Shaun Grant.   Guest: Justin Kurzel, director of Nitram; Shaun Grant, writer of Nitram; Mahmood Fazal, writer, journalist and contributor The Saturday Paper and The Monthly. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Have you ever wondered how long you would last if you were dropped into the wilderness with just a hunting knife, a shovel, and a sleeping bag? A day? A week? That’s the premise of a show called ‘Alone’. Think ‘Survivor’, but on steroids. Contestants are isolated with nothing but a camera for company. They take on grizzly bears and hunt wildlife. And the last person standing wins a cash prize. It’s like a real life ‘Hunger Games’, complete with the discomfort of watching people struggle against the elements for our entertainment. This week on The Culture, Osman Faruqi is joined by The Saturday Paper’s TV critic Sarah Krasnostein to talk about why we’re so obsessed with ‘Alone’, and what that says about what we’re all grappling with as a society right now. Plus, Sarah shares what she’s been watching, reading and listening too. Guest: Sarah Krasnostein, TV critic for The Saturday Paper. Follow The Culture on Instagram See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sally Rooney’s third novel, ‘Beautiful World, Where Are You’, was one of the most hotly anticipated releases of the year. Now that it’s out, it’s smashing sales records. Her new book covers similar ground to her earlier work, but this time, more than ever, Rooney turns inward and grapples with what it means to be a successful writer in the current moment. So why has Rooney’s work struck such a chord with millions of readers? And does ‘Beautiful World, Where Are You’ live up to the hype? Guest: Writer and book critic, Madeleine Gray Background reading: The meanings of production: ‘Beautiful World, Where Are You’ in The Monthly Follow The Culture on Instagram See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It was one of the most chaotic and controversial album rollouts in recent history but Kanye West’s 10th studio album, Donda, is finally here.   It’s safe to say Kanye is now far from the peak of his nearly two-decade career – artistically and culturally – yet his latest album still went to No. 1. But when we’re talking about Kanye, it’s never really about the sales figures, or even just the music. There’s not that many artists who are as loved, and hated, as Kanye.   This week on The Culture, we've got a special jumbo episode (not quite as long as Donda, but still) with two of the podcast's favourites. Filmmaker and contributor to The Saturday Paper, Santilla Chingaipe, talks to us about who Kanye is: where he comes from, why so many people fell in love with his music, and why it’s so hard to be a fan right now. And music critic for The Saturday Paper, Shaad D’Souza, takes us through a more in-depth discussion about Donda, and where Kanye sits musically today. Guests: Journalist and writer, Santilla Chingaipe and music critic for The Saturday Paper, Shaad D’Souza. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The video games industry is worth over $180 billion a year, more than the US film and sports industries combined. For decades though, it’s been plagued by a culture of misogyny, homophobia and racism. Right now, a reckoning is taking place at one of the biggest games developers in the world, Activision Blizzard, the publisher of some of the most popular games ever, including Candy Crush, Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. This isn’t the first time sexism and harassment in gaming has made headlines, but could this be the long-awaited reckoning that the industry needs? To help break down the lawsuit and why it matters, games reporter for Screenhub and regular games critic for The Saturday Paper, Jini Maxwell, joins The Culture this week. Guest: Jini Maxwell Follow The Culture on Instagram See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Lorde released her first full-length album, Pure Heroine, back in 2013 and it struck a chord around the world, selling 5 million copies, picking up two Grammys and inspiring a new generation of pop artists. Four years later Lorde returned with her follow-up, the critically acclaimed but much less commercially successful, Melodrama. Another four years down the track, she’s back with her third album, Solar Power. It’s a pretty big gear shift, and the sunny, warm sound reflects the new, luxe lifestyle Lorde has been living. The same kind of lifestyle she mocked backed on Pure Heroine. The reception has been pretty mixed, and the fan and critical reaction divisive. This week, culture writer and critic Elle Hunt joins The Culture to help break down the album, and why it isn’t quite landing the same way as Lorde’s earlier work. Guest: Culture writer and critic Elle Hunt Background reading: Review: Lorde’s Solar Power in The Saturday Paper Follow The Culture on Instagram See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Tony Armstrong, former AFL player and sports presenter on ABC News Breakfast, joins The Culture to talk about a show one of the most heartwarming TV shows out right now - ‘Ted Lasso’. The first season dropped on Apple TV last year, starring Jason Sudeikis as the small-time US football coach, who ends up coaching a UK Premier League soccer team. The show went on to make history, scoring 20 Emmy nominations, the most ever for the first season of a comedy. We’re about halfway through the second season now, so Osman and Tony came together to chat about how ‘Ted Lasso’ is much, much more than just a comedy about sports. Guest: Former AFL player and sports presenter on ABC News Breakfast Tony Armstrong Follow The Culture on Instagram See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on The Culture, we’re talking about the young Kamilaroi kid from Waterloo, New South Wales, who this week topped the US Billboard charts. His name is The Kid LAROI, and his album 'F*ck Love' is taking the world by storm. He dropped his debut EP at 14, was mentored by the likes of Juice WRLD at 15, and signed an international deal at 16. He’s collaborated with Miley Cyrus and his most recent single 'Stay', features one of the biggest pop stars in the world, Justin Beiber. The success of his album makes him the first Australian-born solo artist to top the chart since Sia in 2014, and the first Indigenous Australian artist to top the chart - ever. So this begs the question, where are the headlines? Why aren't Australian media outlets falling over themselves to cover one of the most exciting musical acts to come out of the country in years? To talk about why Australia seems to be playing catch up, I'm joined by Hau Latukefu, a pioneer of the Australian hip hop scene. As part of the duo Koolism, he won the first ever ARIA for Best Urban Release and has gone on to mentor many hip hop artists in the industry today.  Guest: Hau Latukefu Follow The Culture on Instagram See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In 2018 singer Billie Eilish released her debut album ‘When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?’ With it the teenager pretty much immediately changed the face and sound of modern pop music. Her album won all four of the major categories at the Grammy awards that year. The first time that’s happened since 1981. Her hit Bad Guy took out the top spot on the Hottest 100, making her both the youngest person to win the countdown and the first solo female artist. Now, she’s back, with her follow up second record: ‘Happier Than Ever’. It’s a very different sounding album, and it feels like a response to the immense pressure and scrutiny she’s faced since becoming a pop superstar.  To talk about it, and the way Billie Eilish is reshaping the music industry around herself, we’re joined on the show by music critic for The Saturday Paper, Shaad D’Souza.   Guest: Music critic for The Saturday Paper, Shaad D’Souza Follow The Culture on Instagram See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The original Gossip Girl debuted 14 years ago and quickly became a cultural phenomenon. Now the show is back with a brand new cast and brand new storyline, along with promises of more politically correct storylines. But do we need a new version of the show in 2021? And is it even any good? To answer these questions, and more, New York City based culture writer Tara Kenny joins the show.   Guest: Tara Kenny, culture writer and contributor to The Saturday Paper Background reading: Gossip Girl in The Saturday Paper Follow The Culture on Instagram See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Britney Spears is one of the biggest music stories in the world right now, but it’s not because of her music. It's to do with the saga of her controversial 13 year long conservatorship. In 2019 the Free Britney hashtag and movement went viral. More recently we’ve seen a series of documentaries covering the issue, and the story has grown and grown. Then, a few weeks ago, after years of silence, we saw Britney finally speak out publicly.  She confirmed years worth of speculation regarding her conservatorship, and perhaps most importantly, the role her father Jamie Spears has played in all of it. So could the 13 year battle to free Britney finally be coming to an end? Guest: Editor of Music Junkee, Jules LeFevre See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In 2017 Melbourne musicians Ed Service and Jack Madin recorded a song in their Brunswick studio. It was recorded with, and for, their friends. The track got some love at local gigs and warehouse parties, but disappeared pretty quickly. Ed and Jack soon moved on with their lives and got day jobs. But four years later that song they wrote has gone international. It’s playing at festivals and stadiums all over the world. It’s even been remixed by David Guetta.  The track has been streamed millions of times and is rocketing up the charts. So what happened? Today on The Culture we look at how two Melbourne musicians took the world by storm. Guest: Ed Service and Jack Madin from Shouse. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In basements and bars across the country crowds gather to cheer on people wearing tight, spandex outfits as they toss and pummel each other all over a ring. In today’s episode we visit Deathmatch Downunder: one of the most spectacular, violent and progressive professional wrestling events in the country. It’s popular, it’s growing and it’s the perfect combination of sports and entertainment. But where did it come from and what makes it so compelling?   Guest: Contributor to The Monthly and author of ‘Everything Harder Than Everyone Else’, Jenny Valentish See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After 14 years and 20 seasons one of the biggest TV shows in the world, ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians’, is over. But despite it’s huge popularity, the show, and family, in particular Kim Kardashian, are pretty polarising. They have their fair share of detractors, plenty of people talk proudly about how they’ve never seen an episode, and even a decent chunk of the viewing audience are people who happily admit to hate watching it. But wherever you sit, the influence of the Kardashians and their show is hard to deny. So what does it mean now that it’s finishing up? Critic and writer, Brodie Lancaster, Australia’s foremost expert on the Kardashian clan, joins The Culture this week to help us understand where we all go from here.  Guest: Writer and critic Brodie Lancaster. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

‘The Fast and the Furious’ is one of the biggest franchises in movie history, grossing nearly $6 billion at the box office and spanning nine films over 20 years.  The latest instalment in the series, F9, was released in cinemas last week. This week on The Culture we discuss what makes ‘The Fast and the Furious’ so compelling, and why it deserves to be recognised as this generation’s James Bond.   Guest: Culture writer and author Sinead Stubbins Thanks to Insider for the Fast and Furious "family" supercut See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Underground Railroad, a new series on Amazon Prime, is based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel of the same name by Colson Whitehead.  It's directed by Barry Jenkins, who also directed the 2016 Best Picture winner Moonlight and the follow up, If Beale Street Could Talk.  The show is one of the most gripping, powerful and visceral series out this year, and it’s an opportunity to explore what prestige television looks like in 2021, and how it can help us confront our history and grapple with the present. Guest: Award-winning writer, filmmaker and contributor to The Saturday Paper, Santilla Chingaipe See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hip-hop is the biggest musical genre in the world right now, and one of the fastest growing locally, but in Australia it still feels like it hasn’t quite broken through and dominated the mainstream yet, in the way it has overseas - especially in the US and UK.  Acts like the Hilltop Hoods and Bliss n Eso helped popularise Australian hip-hop in the mid-2000s, but while they were achieving commercial success, a much grittier and raw kind of hip-hop was coming out of housing commission estates in Sydney and Melbourne. Known as gutter rap, or lad rap, this underground subgenre never saw much airplay and didn’t sell heaps of records, but it influenced a generation of artists redefining hip-hop in Australia today. Writer, journalist and contributor to The Saturday Paper and The Monthly, Mahmood Fazal, joins The Culture to discuss the history of Australia’s underground hip-hop scene and how it feeds into the music being made today. Guest: Writer, journalist and contributor The Saturday Paper and The Monthly, Mahmood Fazal See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Olivia Rodrigo’s hit single ‘driver’s license’ is undeniably the biggest song of 2021 so far. Now the actor turned singer-songwriter has released her debut album ‘Sour’, which has broken streaming and chart records. But who is Olivia Rodrigo and why has a teenage girl’s break-up album resonated with so many people of all ages? This week on The Culture we explore what her enormous success says about the way pop stars are manufactured in this current era, with music writer and critic for The Saturday Paper Shaad D’Souza. Guest: Music critic for The Saturday Paper, Shaad D’Souza. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Whether it’s podcasts like ‘Serial’ or ‘The Teacher’s Pet’, Netflix documentaries like ‘Making a Murderer’ or ‘Tiger King’, true crime is absolutely dominant.  But what does our obsession with these stories say about us, and our perception of the world we live in? And with institutions like the police and the media under increasing scrutiny from the public, is it time for a genre like true crime to reinvent itself? This week on The Culture we discuss all of that and more with Sarah Krasnostein, the best-selling author of ‘The Trauma Cleaner’, criminal law expert, and The Saturday Paper’s TV critic.   Guest: Sarah Krasnostein. TV critic for The Saturday Paper. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Culture is a brand new weekly show from the team behind 7am, Australia's most popular daily news podcast. Each episode takes a deep dive into a work, artist or area where culture and society collide. Hosted by Osman Faruqi, the editor of 7am, the show will feature conversations with critics from The Saturday Paper and The Monthly, and interviews with local and international musicians, filmmakers, writers, and other artists. The first episode drops May 28. Follow us now, so you don't miss out. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.